Hoverfly Sightings W/C 22nd December 2025
It has been a while since I did a sightings blog, but it being Christmas I thought I would go out spotting in and around my locality in order to finish off the records for the year.
Often people will go out on New Years Day to log flowers and birds they have seen. I thought I would do this throughout Christmas week. Over the last few years a few botanical groups have started doing these types of logs, as seen on social media, but I haven’t seen many birding groups doing the same has yet. I am sure it will become popularised over the next few years.
Click below to find out what I found.
Starting with the Garden:
All the usual suspects have returned for their winter forage, to be honest I don’t think they ever left.
So, in no particular order birds visiting include:
The only mammal I have seen is Grey Squirrel (Sciurud carolinensis), well two actually, chasing each other through the vegetation. No doubt there will be baby squirrels (commonly known as Kits, Kittens or pups) soon.
The Song Thrush has started to sing, much earlier than last year, and the Tawny Owl can be heard on occasion a hoo-ing at dusk.
Long tailed tits 10+ appear for a feed on the fat-balls at various times of the day. Its such a joy to see them and often someone calls it out and everyone gathers at various windows when they do.
Notable absentees so far this winter include the House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), last year they came as a flock, but so far not this year. Also, no Chaffinch (Fringilla coelobs) or Greenfinch (Chloris chloris) these are occasional visitors, but I haven’t heard one in a while, and I do know that Greenfinch did breed not far away. So, it’s a mystery as to where they have disappeared for this winter.
Last year a regular visitor was a female Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), it was rather aggressive to the other birds especially around the fat ball feeding station. No signs this year to the relief no doubt of the other birds.
Flowers: In the garden in flower are the Violet Chinese Cress (Orychophagmus violaceus), Blackcurrant Sage (Salvia microphylla) the latter being in flower until the first heavy frost of the season. Also just showing some white buds were the Snowdrops (Galanthus sp). So not a lot of flowers, the garden is resting and left untidy so the birds and little critters can hide, feed and feel safe.
Invertebrates: A Buff-tailed bee (Bombus terrestris) was seen on one of the milder days, just before this week began. Also, a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) flew past but unfortunately, no hoverfly.
Going Beyond the Garden Gate:
Birds: All the same birds as above, with the additional spots of Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), Redwing (Turdus iliacus), Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris), Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and Siskin (Carduelis spinus). We thought it was snowing at first as we passed under an Alder tree, only to realise it was the Siskins quietly feeding above.
Mammal: Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and Grey Squirrel (Sciurud carolinensis).
Flowers: Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens), White Dead Nettle (Lamium album), Gorse (Ulex sp), Yarrow (Achilea mllefolium), Hogweed (Heracleum sphondyllium), Oxford Ragwort (Senecio squalidus) and Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata). That is 7 flowers in total all represented in situ as the photographs below show. That’s more than I recall seeing last year at the same time.
Trees: Alder (Alnus glutinosa) and Hazel (Corylus avallana) catkins were out, female flowers showing on the latter, which is a first for this time of year. Normally I would look for the female flowers as an indicator of spring February-March, so I was surprised to find this one tree in Dearne Valley Country Park full of them. Other Hazel trees in the area were showing well for male catkins but no female flowers.
On the Goat Willow (Salix caprea), pussy willows budding on several trees.
I wonder if you are seeing the same flowers and tree flowers in your localities? Please comment below if you are.
Fungi: Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) on Goat Willow and Scurfy Twiglet (Tubaria furfuracea) on wood bark chippings which had been scattered early this year around Barnsley Main site.
Galls: Diplolepis mayri was found on Barnsley Main, this is different to the much more common Robin’s pincushion (Diplolepis rosae) which has longer branched spines. First spotted a few years ago by members of the Barnsley Naturalists’ (2020), reported in British Wildlife: Wildlife Reports by T.Higginbottom a few months later, before being featured on Springwatch by Gillian Burke.
https://www.barnsleynats.org.uk/diplolepis-mayri-a-new-gall-in-barnsley/Invertebrates: Only one 7-spotted ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata) seen, no hoverflies. Maybe next week.
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